Temperature-dependence of beam-driven dynamics in graphene-fullerene sandwiches

C₆₀ fullerenes encapsulated between graphene sheets were investigated by aberration-corrected high-resolution transmission electron microscopy at different temperatures, namely about 93 K, 293 K and 733 K, and by molecular dynamics simulations. We studied beam-induced dynamics of the C₆₀ fullerenes and the encapsulating graphene, measured the critical doses for the initial damage to the fullerenes and followed the beam-induced polymerization. We find that, while the doses for the initial damage do not strongly depend on temperature, the clusters formed by the subsequent polymerization are more tubular at lower temperatures, while sheet-like structures are generated at higher temperatures. The experimental findings are supported by the results of first-principles and analytical potential molecular dynamics simulations. The merging of curved carbon sheets is clearly promoted at higher temperatures and proceeds at once over few-nm segments.